All but Gender
by MODdenial
Summary: Yumi and Ulrich hear a noise from two different entities in their respected places of operation. These voices accompany them and bring them closer to each other despite their declared "platonic" relationship.
1. Voices in the Night

**All but Gender**

_Ulrich Stern._

It was 5:00 AM at Kadic Academy, and then Ulrich Stern, the front man of the Lyoko Warriors woke up with a strange voice whispering in his ear.

"Hello? Who's there?"

He looked to his right; Odd Della Robbia, his best friend was asleep with his dog, Kiwi. Surprisingly, he managed not to touch his handheld all night. Last month, after Odd failed another test due to his lack of mental preparation, his score was so bad, Ulrich called Odd a "precipial dropout." Then Ulrich made Odd a bet. The next test would be exactly a month away. If Odd were to study instead of playing Galactic Destructor all night until the day of the test and got anything above a 60 percent, Ulrich would take the blame for all of Odd's idiotic stunts for a week. However, Ulrich denied this bet, stating that he'd get more detentions than all of his days on earth. So Ulrich and Odd settled on desserts. Desserts never harmed anyone. So far, Odd has studied for 16 days straight. He heard the voice again. It was scintillating, yet elegant. The voice was full of money.

_Ulrich Stern, where are you?_

"That depends, who wants to know?"

_You may call me…Sierra._

"Okay, Sierra, but I don't understand. Why would you call this early in the morning?"

_I suppose you can call me…a guide. Not a conscience, a guide._

"What's the difference?"

_A conscience is someone who tells you what is wrong and right to do and not do. A guide simply helps you along the way._

"Well, by that definition then, aren't they the same?"

_Well, um…_

"Okay, who is this, really?"

…_I understand you're a school heartthrob._

Ulrich smiled; at least this person knew something about him other than his name. "I guess, but I don't pay that much attention to girls."

_None, _pressed Sierra.

"Nope."

_Not even one?_

_Ulrich started to blush. "Well there is one. I…well…it's kinda…hard…"_

"_Hard…To explain that you two insist on being good friends but you secretly desire to be more?"_

Ulrich had a reaction face that one could hang one the wall forever. "Well I…"

_And this someone is precious to you?_

"_Yes, but…"_

_Precious enough to die for?_

It wasn't that Sierra was wrong, but its manner of speaking was pissing Ulrich off.

"Look. I don't know who's speaking, but let me tell you this. I prefer to keep my private information to myself. Find some other sucker to bother. I like my sleep." With that, Ulrich hopped right back into his bed, pulling the covers over himself. Before he went back to sleep, he felt bad about brushing off Sierra and quietly said this.

"If you want to know, Sierra, it's Yumi Ishiyama. I've had strong feelings for her ever since she whooped me in Pencak Silat earlier last year. She's precious to me, and I'd gladly put myself in death's reach for her. I…"

That was all Ulrich said before he slept, and all Sierra needed to hear.

* * *

_Yumi Ishiyama._

_It was 5:00 AM, and then Yumi Ishiyama, the eldest woke up to a small whisper in her ear._

"Hello? Who's there?" She heard the voice again. It was husky, yet elegant. The voice was full of boldness.

_Yumi Ishiyama, where are you?_

"That depends, who wants to know?"

_You may call me…Delta._

"Okay, Delta, but I don't understand. Why would you call this early in the morning?"

_I suppose you can call me…a guide. Not a conscience, a guide._

"What's the difference?"

_A conscience is someone who tells you what is wrong and right to do and not do. A guide simply helps you along the way._

"Well, by that definition then, aren't they the same?"

_Well, um…_

"Okay, who is this, really?"

…_I understand you're a school heartthrob._

"Who, me?" Yumi said, she laughed to herself, how could anyone, well 'he' think she was a heartthrob? "I'm no heartthrob. I can't even attract a single boy."

_None, pressed Sierra._

"Nope."

_Not even one?_

Yumi started to blush. "Well there is one. I…well…it's kinda…hard…"

"_Hard…To explain that you two insist on being good friends but you secretly desire to be more?"_

Yumi had a reaction face that one could hang one the wall forever. "Well I…"

_And this someone is precious to you?_

"Yes, but…"

_Precious enough to die for?_

It wasn't that Sierra was wrong, but its manner of speaking was pissing Yumi off.

"I don't have time to listen to voices that apparently exist in my head. You can leave now." With that, Yumi into her bathroom and began washing her face. She was wide awake now; going back to bed wouldn't help her. However, it seemed she should've at least told Delta about her amber.

"If you're still there, Delta, it's Ulrich Stern. I've had strong feelings for him because of how brave he is, he's always put me before himself, and I get no other passion when I fight with him, whether it's Pencak Silat, or an argument, I just-my heart- it," She sighed pleasantly just thinking about him. "But I told him we can only be friends because if we were anything more, we'd end up hurting ourselves over simple misunderstandings. Sometimes I wonder if…I was wrong…maybe."

_Delta heard everything it needed to hear and left Yumi._


	2. Ulrich's Good Morning

**All but Gender**

It was 7:00 AM; the usual time to get up and Odd was up and about, getting his early morning exercises in…with his handheld of course. He was on the last level of the new zone. He was in complete focus. Nothing could stop him, but just in case, he fed Kiwi early, walked him at 6:00 AM and brought him back inside before everything went out the window. His good buddy, Ulrich was sound asleep so he technically couldn't collect on his bet unless he caught him with it…unless it's a trick. What if he was quietly peeping with one eye at him, careful to spot at a moment's notice? That would mean no Ice Cream for 21 meals straight! Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner!

_Well, _thought Odd, _I'll just catch him in his act. After all, he violated his part, he wasn't supposed to see me because it would influence me to study and not play. But I'll wake him up, and then I'll expose him from the-_

"Sierra…"

_Sierra…who is that, a new girl in our grade? If we were having a new student, well then again, Jim Morales wakes us up and tells us about the new student coming but I don't want to hear from Paco again._

"Strong feelings…for her…strong feelings."

_This girl even has Ulrich's affection? I've got to meet her._

"Don't understand…Yumi….like…Sierra."

…_Okay, time to wake Romeo up, _Odd finalized, dumping a bag of candles on Ulrich's face. The scent got him up in seconds.

"Odd, I'm going to kill you."

"Okay, but before you do that, who's Sierra?"

"Sierra? I've never heard of her."

"Are you sure? You talked a lot about her in your sleep."

"It was a dream, Odd. It was nothing more than a dream."

"But what was Sierra? A game you were in, a technique you created…maybe even a _girl?_

Ulrich's face began to tint. "What?! No way! It was a voice that said it would be my guide instead of a conscience."

"Wow, you must have been dreaming."

"Yeah, and I would killed you…if these candles didn't smell so good." He admitted.

"Then you won't want to take a bath, that entire pleasantry will wash away."

"Yeah, but look at me. I look like…"

"You look like a hot mess?"

"I look like a hot mess."

"That's all the more reason why you shouldn't bathe. I promise you, musk mixed with candle scent will turn you into a babe magnet."

"I promise you, this getup will make me stink worse than a 3 day old trash bag, loaded with rotten meat."

"Now that's an exaggeration. Let's get going."

"Hold on a second there, boys! Where do you think you're headed?"

"Hello Jim. We were on our way to the showers to wash up, weren't we Odd?"

"Yep, and I swear you look like a…"

"He looks like a hot mess?"

"Jim!"

"Sorry, Stern. That smell reminds me of my days in Paris. I was a multi-millionaire entrepreneur! But I'd rather not talk about it. Anyway, if you wanted to bathe, you should get in the showers 30 minutes ago, so it's off to class for you two!"

* * *

_**Elsewhere**_

Jeremy Belpois, the brains of the Lyoko Warriors set was sitting on his bed with his now-human sweetheart, Aelita Schaeffer, however, she's known to the school as Aeilita Stones. They both were up all night figuring out a program to contain, if not destroy their malevolent enemy, X.A.N.A., an artificial intelligence who uses towers on a virtual world, called Lyoko to attack the real world in hopes of eliminating the Lyoko Warriors, their base of operations, or both.

"So what do you think? Will it be enough to contain X.A.N.A?"

"I can't determine right now, but my estimations confer that once it finished, we'll be able to launch the program and finally contain X.A.N.A. This way, we won't be able to destroy him, but we'll able to stop his attacks in Lyoko and the real world forever."

"That's excellent, Jeremy."

"Hold on, it gets better. Remember how we transferred you from Lyoko to the real world a year ago?

"Yes…"

"You also know that your father, Franz Hopper, is just like you, right?"

"Yes-wait, Jeremy," she exclaimed happily, "You're saying that…"

"Yep, if we can run the same procedure that brought you here to us, maybe, just maybe, we can rematerialize your father here on Earth as well.

"Oh Jeremy! Do you really think it's possible?"

"Everything and anything is possible, far-fetched but possible. We won't know until we find out, but there's a pretty good chance you'll see Franz Hopper again, the real one, not a XANA-fied clone." In response, Aeilita threw her arms around Jeremy's neck, causing his cheeks to tint.

"Jeremy Belpois, I could kiss you right now!" Realizing her actions, she stood up and turned around, folding her arms "But I should be professional and just offer my sincerest gratitude."

…

…

…

…

…

"Oh who am I fooling?!" She cried, flying into Jeremy's arms, planting her lips on his.

"Belpois, I will not ask you again to-" started Jim, completely unaware that he had just walked in on a very tender moment. The two geniuses, blushing, were like deer in headlights at Jim.

"Oh I see-well-ahem-sorry for interrupting, but do hurry to class, you two. You don't want to spend more time with each other in detention, that's for sure."

With that, Jim made his leave and looked for any more students still inside their rooms. Aeilita slowly stood up from Jeremy, reluctant to leave.

"Jeremy…I…"

"Don't worry about it, Aeilita. You'll be with your father soon enough." He said, walking to his door.

"But before we see him, I'll kiss you then." Then he walked out, leaving an innocently and delightedly confused princess, blushing.

* * *

Ulrich had begun walking to class. He was prepared to brush whatever insults, jokes, or wisecracks were made about him off. All of a sudden, he tripped but balanced himself in time to land on one knee, with minimum impact. He was in such as rush to get to class that he didn't know his shoelaces came undone. He quickly tied them on and began to walk to class again.

Just then, Aelita came running from Jeremy's room. Then stopped when she saw Ulrich. It was almost as if she were a robot; her movements were automatic until she sniffed the air around him.

"Hey Aelita...what...are you...doing?"

Aelita began cooing while sniffing Ulrich, visibly enamored by his scent.

"Oh nothing...just...taking in the air."

Odd was stunned, he didn't know what to say. Jeremy was stunned as well but for some reason to Odd he wasn't bothered.

"I never knew you smelled like Balsam, Ulrich. The musk makes you smell so...urbanly delightful."

Ulrich blushed; he saw Yumi walking a mile away and would become actively suspicious of Aelita's behavior. He had to think of something.

"My phone's vibrating," He lied, but it seemed to work on Aelita. "Yes Jeremy? Newtonian physics? No, why would I know anything about-shoot. Okay, I'll be right there. Sorry Aelita, apparantly Ms. Hertz is giving us a pop quiz in Physics class now, so I should get going, bye-"

Then, while he was turning to run, he accidentally tripped over his shoelaces, which came untied somehow, and tumbled right into his good friend, causing them both to fall over. However, the position they found themselves in was very compromising indeed.

"Someone...get this...license of...that...hit?"

"Um...Yumi...your...friend...feeling...a bit...awkward?"

"Hey."

"Hey…so…sleep good last night?"

"Yeah…how about you?"

"Well, nothing new…wait, is that smell coming from you?"

Ulrich helped Yumi up then immediately turned in the direction of his dorm. "Screw this, I'm going to the showers. I knew this smell was going to be a-"

"I didn't say it was bad."

"Problem. Wait, what?"

"Let me guess, Balsam and bed sweat?"

"How did you…?"

"Odd told me."

"It figures."

"Well, I'll be off to class now." She said, ruffling his hair "Later, you little hot mess." She laughed while running off, leaving a flushed Ulrich Stern speechless.

"I…Yumi…darn it." All of a sudden, Ulrich felt a pair of hands grab his waist from behind.

"You are a hot mess, however." Aelita giggled.

* * *

Ulrich walked into his classroom, both downkept and flabbergasted. Odd's thoughts were...very Odd indeed, as were the other students'

"Hey, how's it going, Mr. Sierra?" Odd giggled.

"Shut up, Odd."

"Hey Ulrich, forget the showers this morning?" whispered Jeremy.

"I didn't forget, I woke up late. A voice was keeping me up all night."

"So it wasn't a dream? This 'Sierra' girl is real?"

"No!" asserted Ulrich, unaware that his outburst had revealed their entire conversation to the classroom

"Hey, did you hear?"

"Ulrich's got a lady-friend!"

"He said her name was 'Sierra'."

"Wow!"

"Hey Ulrich, when can we meet her?"

"Hey, can you give me her number?"

"No, her e-mail address!"

"What about her Twitter? What's her name?"

"Her Facebook too!"

"Class, settle down now, settle down!" Mrs. Suzanne Hertz requested who, at the time, was not taking charge of the class at all.

"How does she look in person?"

"Scale of 1-10, is she an 11?"

"You think she's prettier than Sissi?"

"You must be kidding. Ulrich's the man. Of course, she'd look better than Sissi."

"How about Aeilita, Mrs. Einstein?"

"Probably, the only guy she can think about is Mr. Einstein!"

Ulrich and Jeremy were fuming, well Ulrich was. Jeremy was stirring to explode.

"I bet she looks better than that 'Yumi' girl he always hangs out with."

"Oh, not that's not even a comparison," uttered Elizabeth Delmas, who came and sauntered herself around Ulrich.

"'Sierra' is my nickname, you see. Ulrich is my boyfriend and he simply can't resist my _'Sierra' _brown eyes." The boys awed at her as she fluttered her eyebrows.

"He's obviously too shy to admit it, but he harbors strong feelings for me. I wonder, however, why he can't act the way he does towards Yumi towards me. I'm a much better fit for Ulrich than that ugly, Asian Gothic, skinny trick!"

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!"

"10."

"Hmm?"

"9."

"What?"

"8."

"Uh-oh."

"7."

_Tick-Tack-Clack._

"6."

"Ulrich dear, what are you counting for?"

"5."

_Uh-Oh. This is bad. Me and my big mouth._

"4."

"One side, people! One-side!"

"3."

"Ulrich, let's get you out of here, good buddy!"

"2."

"Oh, this is gonna hurt." Odd squealed, turning his face away

"1."

_Ulrich._

His head nodded up towards the ceiling. The voice was back, but now it was an apparition in his mind, almost a ghost.

_You should, but don't. Yumi wouldn't like it._

"_Yeah, what could you know, Sierra? You heard what she said, what he said, what they all said! They think you're my girlfriend!"_

_How do you know I am female and not male?_

"_Female voices are charming, elegant, but we males are husky and bold. There's no way you can be a male._

"_Really?" said Sierra, in a dark, god-like voice that made Ulrich wobble._

"_Okay, now I'm not so sure."_

"_You cannot trust all that you hear. Learn this, and your amber will glow._

Ulrich's head came down, and then slowly came back up, as if he was possessed. He turned to look at his two pals and gave them a thousand dollar smile.

"Odd, Jeremy, let's go. I need a bath.

* * *

Odd and Jeremy waited on both end of the boys showers, waiting for their front man to make his exit from the baths. Ulrich walked with a towel, and a pair of sandals. Ulrich sniffed himself and sighed, the scent was gone.

"So how do you feel, Mr. Sier-"

"One more and I'll kill you."

"Well, Ulrich, Odd told me about your 'guide'. Do you think-"

"X.A.N.A.? Public humiliation isn't X.A.N.A's style. If it was, X.A.N.A would just be an artificial intelligence of Odd. No offense, good buddy."

"None take-hey, are you calling me dumb?"

"Yeah, now let's head back to class, I don't want another 0 for truancy."


	3. Yumi's Bad Memory

**All but Gender**

"Yumi, sweetie. Are you awake?"

Yumi had gone back to sleep despite her meeting with Delta. She didn't know whether it was a dream or not, but she didn't want to dwell on it because even if it was a voice that came to her in the night, with no one else but her to hear it, she had admitted how she felt about Ulrich. This "just good friends" statement she gave to Ulrich and William constantly was starting to wear on her, especially William because unlike Ulrich, William is more assertive with his desire to be with her. This wasn't to say she didn't find it flattering, not a whole lot of guys would like a girl who wears black on a daily basis, but William is more likely than Ulrich to do something so severe that it would haunt for an extensive portion of time.

"Yumi, it's almost 6:45. If you don't hurry, we won't get you to the Academy on time."

She looked on her phone and sure enough, the clock on her phone was close to a quarter to 7. She quickly put on her boots, her shirt, and unfolded her hair from its bun. She came downstairs and quickly ate her breakfast and headed out to her parents' car.

"So, what kept you in, dear?"

"It was nothing, just…simple insomnia."

"Was it about something at the academy?"

"No, it was…"

"Was it about Ulrich?"

At that point, she had remembered that her little brother, Hiroki Ishiyama, was sitting next to her. Hiroki enrolled in the Academy last year, so he would join her in the car on the way to the academy.

"No, it was not about Ulrich!"

"You were probably all-" He began to talk in a lovey-dovey girl's voice, "Oh, _Ulrich, _Hiroki was _right_ about you _all along_! We should've done this _sooner_!" and he was probably "Come on, Yumi, it's only gonna better."

This is what Yumi hated-no, abhorred about Hiroki. He's already given Ulrich his approval to date Yumi, he even announced in front of Jim, Emily, Tamiya, Milly, and worst of all, Sissi that he always tells her to go out with him. (Their memories were erased but it still bothered her like an involuntary moment played in the mind over and over.) She responded to his innuendo by smacking upside the head which let out an audible "ow!"

"No, Hiroki. That was not in my dream AT ALL! I didn't even sleep that much, to tell you the truth."

"Why?"

"Stayed up all night thinking about Ulrich?"

"That's not it, either!"

"Were you thinking about handsome he is, how cool he is, and how well-built he is-ow!"

"One more Hiroki. Just one more!"

"…Sorry."

* * *

Yumi was walking across the courtyard when she saw her amber, Ulrich Stern walking into the hall. There was something different about his appearance. His brows were furrowed, he looked grouchy, and other than the fact that his hair was savagely unkept, he…kinda looked hot. But he was a mess.

**So this is what they call a "hot mess."**

"_Delta?" _

**Hiya.**

She then saw her pink-haired friend, Aeilita, running towards before stopping midway, noticeably captured by Ulrich's gaze.

"_Okay, so Aeilita likes hot messes. That's something._"

Then she saw her sniffing Ulrich like a bloodhound, while cooing.

"Hey Aeilita, w-w-what are you doing?"

"Oh I'm doing nothing, just…taking in the air."

**More like eating Ulrich alive with your eyes.**

"_Why are you here?"_

**Well, I was going to ask you about this "Ulrich Stern", but it seems that he's been taken hasn't he?**

"_Calm down, Aeilita's in love with Jeremy. She and Ulrich are like siblings."_

**Are sibling supposed to rub their hands all over each other?**

"_Well, duh! They're-wait, what?"_

She looked back and saw Aeilita tracing her finger across Ulrich's chest before rubbing the dirt on his cheek. "I never knew you smelled like Balsam, Ulrich. The scent makes you so…urbanely delightful."

**Okay, now that's provocative.**

"_Shut up Delta, I'm sure this is nothing."_ Pushing Delta out of her mind, Yumi was walking into the school then all of a sudden she fell over, smelling Balsam. As she looked up, the proximity between her and her amber was so close, it made them both blush.

"Um...Someone…get the…license…of that…hit?"

"Um...Yumi...your...friend...feeling...a bit...awkward?"

"Hey."

"Hey…so…sleep good last night?"

"Yeah…how about you?"

"Well, nothing new…wait, is that smell coming from you?"

Ulrich helped Yumi up then immediately turned in the direction of his dorm. "Screw this, I'm going to the showers. I knew this smell was going to be a-"

"I didn't say it was bad."

"Problem. Wait, what?"

"Let me guess, Balsam and bed sweat?"

"How did you…?"

"Odd told me."

"It figures."

"Well, I'll be off to class now. Later, you little hot mess." She said, ruffling his hair before running off.

* * *

Yumi walked into her classroom, worried about the trig final she was going to take in a few weeks. She had studied consistently but always felt as if even the slightest slip-up could butcher her entire grade. This is one of the many reasons she created that would explain why being in a serious relationship with Ulrich would not be the right course of action. But still, the thought of being in a relationship with Ulrich sounded very pleasant to her.

**I bet it does.**

"_Delta…"_

**Listen, Yumi. It's no secret that you are in love with Ulrich. It should be obvious that he loves you just as much.**

"_That's the problem. He and I love each other. If we were like brother and sister, kind of like me and Hiroki, this would not be an issue!"_

**And why is that?**

"_He gets jealous every time he sees me with other boys and I can't stand to see him with another girl. When he was with Sissi before I knew that she was blackmailing him, I nearly walked over and kicked her head right off her body!"_

**What about him seeing you with other guys? Hasn't he done anything to keep you away?**

"_Well, there was this one time…"_

* * *

FLASHBACK TIME XD

_2 months ago_

_Yumi and Ulrich were practicing Pencak Silat in the courtyard since they had nothing better to do with their time. Between fighting X.A.N.A, school, and martial arts, the two rarely had time for themselves, let alone each other. Their practice concluded when Yumi sweep-kicked Ulrich onto his back, pinning him with her legs. _

_Ulrich sighed pleasantly despite losing. "Is it wrong that I enjoy doing this with you?"_

"_Not really, but this is the 30__th__ time I've beaten you with a sweep kick. Your edge is dulling, Ulrich."_

"_Probably because I spend so much time with you; fun does come at a price." _

_Yumi giggled and leaned over Ulrich to kiss his forehead. _

"_Well, I'll be. Looks like our two lovebirds made it after all!"_

_Who but Odd, Jeremy, and Aelita to come at a time like this? Sure enough, Ulrich was supported by everyone else in his group to make a move. Yumi found it bold and decided to oblige but they agreed that an official relationship would end their friendship due to the levels of jealousy they reach easily._

"_Anyway, we just received an exchange student from Chicago, Illinois. His name is Phillip Brooks and he's trilingual!"_

"_Triangual?"_

"_It means 'three languages.' He can speak three different languages."_

"_Really, which ones?"_

"_He can speak English, Spanish, and Japanese __**fluently**__."_

"_He's also very skilled in martial arts. You know, Ulrich, I think he could actually beat you!"_

"_Phillip could actually beat me? Einstein, currently only Yumi has the privilege of saying that. No one other than her can beat me." _

"_He's also doesn't chivalry. Actually, he usually beats everyone he fights, male or female, and he's a big fan of bloodshed."_

"_I'll kill him." Ulrich said, a deadly aura now brewing around him_

"_But he hasn't done anything yet-oh, I see, you're trying to protect your damsel in distress, aren't you?"_

"_No!"_

"_You think about her, even though you're opposing her?"_

"_No!"_

"_She's a girl?"_

"_I just said no!"_

"_She makes you feel scared?"_

"_No!"_

"…_She's a-"_

"_God Damn It, Odd, another one of those, and you can consider yourself finished!"_

… _damsel in distress who you need to protect?"_

"_I swear, Odd, in a trunk, off a cliff!" Ulrich said as he tore off, chasing Odd who was laughing his head off._

"_You can't swear, Ulrich, it's impolite!" Yumi called while waving._

"_WHYYYYYYYYYYYYY?" He two-finger saluted back. _

"_Oh, those two. So what are you doing later, Jeremy?"_

"_Well, I've got an idea for an all-terrain vehicle we can use on Lyoko. It's still incomplete but I should have it ready in say a week."_

"_Why don't I help you?"_

"_Really, I mean if you have time then by all means, I'd love company." Then Yumi was left alone in the courtyard. She looked at her phone, 6 minutes until intermission was over. She could find Ulrich and spend more time with him but he was off chasing Odd. _

"_Hey there girl."_

_Yumi turned around and saw a guy with messy hair and bandages around his arms._

"_Hello, and who are you?"_

"_The new kid on the block, Phillip Jack Brooks." _

"_Yumi Ishiyama."_

"_I just got here and I'm trying to find the sci-eynce room. Know where it is?"_

"_Sci-enyce?"_

"_Yeah, the study of animas, and na-ture."_

"_This guy is so lame in the head, it's adorable" Yumi giggled to herself. "Okay, come with me." _

_Yumi had given him a tour of the new building. Some of the girls found him intriguing, but most of the boys gave him looks that could kill. At last, they found the science room, but not before attracting a large crowd of females and jealous males._

"_Um…hi?"_

_Then Phillip was hit with a tidal wave of screaming females, shouting the usual stuff:_

"_He's so cool!"_

"_Phillip, you're awesome!"_

"_Marry me, Phillip!"_

_It wasn't long before Jim, Ms. Hertz, and the principal came to settle down the crowd. Phillip looked around for Yumi but she was long gone. _

_Yumi and Ulrich had relocated to a hilltop close by campus where they had a view of not only the school, but the town around it. The school year was nearing a close and the Lyoko Warriors had begun thinking X.A.N.A was running out of options._

"_Hey Yumi?"_

"_Yeah?"_

"_You know X.A.N.A has to go down one day right?"_

"_Right."_

"_So I've been thinking, after we do take down X.A.N.A., what's going to become of us?"_

"_You mean us two or the whole group?"_

"_Us two."_

"_Oh, okay. Um, Ulrich you know how I can get easily jealous right?"_

"_Well, you-"_

"_Yes or no question, Ulrich."_

"…_Yes."_

"_Okay, listen. I can get jealous very easily and so can you which is the only thing holding us back from having a relationship. I've read a lot of stories where the male does horrible things to the female out of jealousy and anger. But, I trust you a whole lot, so, if you see me with a boy talking and nothing more than that, would you be able to keep your cool?"_

"_Of course, you hang around Jeremy and Odd all the time."_

"_They're practically family, Ulrich."_

"_I can chill if you're around other boys. What they'll do to you if they're alone with you for too long is what I'm apprehensive about."_

"_So you think I can't handle myself?"_

"_No, it's not that, I-"_

"_Ulrich, are you calling me defenseless?"_

"_No, absolutely not, I-"_

"_If I were to ask you to head down to the closest ice cream parlor and buy me something, you believe that I would be attacked in that instant?"_

"…_Are you hungry?"_

"_What? No! Don't try to change the-"_

WAAAAAARRRRRRBBBBBBLLLLLLEEEEEE

"_Um, Ulrich?"_

"_Which one do you want?"_

"_Hmm…do they have strawberry?"_

"_Probably."_

"_Could you see if they have some whipped cream as well?"_

"_Okay."_

"_Arigato, koibito."_

"_Koibito?"_

"_Japanese for 'sweetheart' or 'baby'."_

"_Oh. Heh. Yeah, I'll just get your snack."_

_Ulrich quickly walked off, but the blush had already crept up to his ears, causing Yumi to giggle. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that the conversation they just had would manifest itself into reality one way or the other. She laid back in the grass by the tree until a messy-haired individual walked up to her._

"_That was fast, I didn't expect it to be so close."_

"_Well, you have a lot of people show you the way, it's not that hard."_

"_So you asked for directions?"_

"_Not really, I just followed you here."_

"_So you saw it on the way?"_

"_Yeah."_

"_So did you get it?"_

"_Not yet, but I plan to…right now."_

"_Alright then, but actually I'm not feeling that hungry anymore-" _

"_But I think you are…for me."_

"_Okay, Ulrich, where are you getting this attitude from?"_

"…_Who's Ulrich?"_

_That comment got Yumi on her feet in an instant. Phillip was standing there, a lustful smile on his face._

"_Phillip? How did you?"_

"_Didn't you hear me, I was stalking you for a while. You've got a pretty good boyfriend, you know. But, nobody likes a used girl."_

"_Phillip, you don't mean?"_

"_I like you, Yumi Ishiyama. I like you, and I want you. Your boyfriend's not here to give you to me, so I'm gonna take you."_

"_I'd like to see you try."_

"_Ooh, feisty. I'm practically drooling. My fish have never squirmed before, and it's making me…ssssolid."_

_Phillip charged at Yumi and started throwing punches and kicks towards her direction which were somewhat easy for her to parry. The bandages on his hands were wet which meant that he was a kickboxing specialist. Yumi could only parry and block his attacks but every instance of blocking or parrying caused several blood vessels in her arms to break. _

"_He's strong, but this is ridiculous! It's as if he's being controlled by X.A.N.A, but has consciousness of himself!"_

_Yumi's movements gradually became sluggish and Phillip's next kick was so brutal that it knocked Yumi through the tree and down the hill onto the pavement below. Yumi tried to get back to her feet and run but she had been turned over and detained by Phillip, who was now trying to unclothe her. Yumi was never this frightened on Lyoko, but she still had enough energy to resist him._

"_Let go of me, you crazy sex offender!"_

"_That's what I want! Squirm, girl, squirm!"_

"_You're crazy if you think you're gonna get away with this!"_

"_Oh, but I will. You know why, cause I've got my buddies videotaping this from different locations. Of course, you could stop resisting and just let me have my fun, but then again, I'd still have my way with you._

_Yumi was in abject terror. In her fear, she thought back to conversation an hour ago. In the end, she was rendered defenseless and all she asked him for was a strawberry ice-cream parfait. She didn't care about his jealousy being a bad thing because she was afraid. So she screamed as loud as she could, hope fully loud enough for him to hear:_

"_ULLLLRIIICCHHH! PLEASE HELP ME! PHILLIP'S ABOUT TO"_

_Her plea was cut short by a sickening smack across her face._

"_Shut up, girl! I don't want the police to know what I'm going to do to you."_

"_And I thought I was gonna kill Odd first."_

_Phillip's head turned around to see Ulrich standing there with a bloody army coat. Behind him were several bodies piled onto each other._

"_What did you…TO MY BOYS?!" Phillip screamed as he lunged for Ulrich with a fist, but was caught and crushed in Ulrich's unusually strong grip._

"_What were you doing and about to do…TO MY GIRL?!" Ulrich yelled._

"Ulrich had called an ambulance earlier on said there would be room for five patients. The damage report culminated in broken bones, bleeding eyes, and deep scars in all of their backs. I still remember what happened between me and Ulrich that night."

"_Yumi, it's me Ulrich. I'm here, okay? They're all in ambulances."_

_Yumi lay on the ground, motionless. She was sexually assaulted and nearly molested in Ulrich's absence. Tears rolled down her face as she was nearly naked from the waist up. Her clothes were forcefully ripped from her body, and her arms were covered in bruises, along with her stomach, and face._

"_Yumi, I'm never gonna leave you again. I'm staying with you and I don't care about my jealousy, I love you. This happened because I was away from you. I should've stayed with you. It's my fault-"_

"_Ulrich?"_

"_Yes, Yumi?"_

"…_Your body…gashes…bruises…black, blue, green, purple…scars…puncture wounds?"_

"_Adrenaline helped me get through them."_

"_Ulrich…" She sobbed bitterly. Ulrich instinctly kissed her lips and rubbed her hair._

"_I'm here, Yumi. I always will be…no matter what."_

_The rain fell on both them, as if nature itself was heartbroken. Tears fell down their faces as fell asleep, right then and there on the pavement._

* * *

**Well, well, well. Ulrich sounds like quite the friend, doesn't he?**

"He's my amber. But…I don't know whether to pursue him or not."

**Who's he?**

Ulrich, the guy I have conflicted feelings for?

**I'm not talking about Ulrich, I'm talking about this guy who's been trying to get your attention for the past few minutes.**

She looked up and she saw William who had, as usual, taken his seat next to Yumi. Normally, she would have been fine with it, but ever since she saw Ulrich in a hot mess, she's been plagued with thoughts of his messy hair, his body, his voice, and his-

**Whoa-ho-ho-ho-ho! Pay attention, Yumes! **

"Wha?"

"Hey Yumi, are you alright?"

"No Delta, I'm not, now stop pestering me!"

"Delta?"

"Oh, I'm sorry William. I just have this horrible migraine."

"I can understand that. I've got no control over my head either."

"What?"

"…But you do," he added with a smirk, "and it's always centered on you."

"William, that's very sweet, but listen. I'm not in a relationship with Ulrich, okay? If he and I were to be in a relationship, our friendship would go out the window and we'd hurt each other."

"Actually, I wasn't going to talk about Ulrich, but…now that you've brought it up, have you been hearing rumors?"

"What rumors?"

"Apparently, Ulrich's in love with a girl named Sierra. We haven't seen her but it has to be a nickname for either a girl at the Academy, or a girl far away from here."

"Ulrich is in love with a girl? Weird, he even told me that he has affectionate feelings for me."

**Well you know what they say, Yumi. Everyone is innocent till proven guilty.**

"That's not in France's constitution or Japan's! That's from the USA!"

**Really? **

"Who are you, Delta?"

**You cannot trust all that you hear. Remember this, and this 'Sierra' they're talking about will die out eventually.**

With that phrase, Delta left her. Yumi didn't want to believe rumors, but she never did show signs to reciprocating Ulrich's feelings.

"It's gonna grow to a point where it won't be able to sustain any more and then it will burst sooner or later."

"Ms. Ishiyama, repeat what you just said."

"Huh?" She had completely forgotten she was taking physics.

"One of the other occurrences I dislike is when students know the answer, but lose the courage to say it. How will you and the rest of the class learn if no one is bold enough to take a stand, Yumi?"

"Oh, I apologize, madam."

**Sorry for the wait. Now, onto the next one!**

**~Rolling,**

**MODdenial**


End file.
